Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-05-27

INC Hutuia al - anu SURF enough, tncIo He
was, standing by the windass. jumping
and clapping his hands. l looked
about for the man whose business it
was TO manage the windlass. but not
sign OF him was there, an in minute
| heard the rattle of the pulley again,
and saw that the rope was running
through it in the wrong direction. l
made grab at it, but twas jerked out
of my hand, an before could catch it
again the end had slipped through, and
there | was more than a hundred feet
from the ground not knowing how in
the world TO get down, an Jerry dane
ing an capering below, calling out,
Come down and thrash me now. Mr..
Forde. won't you 2' Then | remember
ed that, few days before, had found
this boy annoying Katie. an had given
him a cut with a switch | had in my
hand. He had skunk away without
word at the time, but it seems he had
remembered the blow, and took this
way of being revenged.
Well, at first was scarcely frighten-
ed, expecting somehow that, once the
people below knew the fix | was in,
they'd find some WAY or other of get
ting me out of it. But when | come 10
think of it, deuce bit of OF way could
l hit on myself. an shure | knew more
about chimneys than any one else in
the place. Twas getting late, too;
there wouldn't be much more than an
other half-hour of daylight, an the
wind was rsng-I could hear ii whstl-
ing through the trees. BY this time
people knew what had happened an n
crowd was collecting; could see them
see them coming from all parts. for Of
course | had a view all about. ! saw
boy 60 up to the door of the counting
house, an presently Master Phillip
came out, running as if for his life.
When he came he took the command
like, an began giving directions; an
the people, who had only stared at first
now ran here and there as he sent them.
First they brought out a long ladder,
an fixed 1t on the roof below the CHM
mey. | could have told them that twas
too short, knowing AS | did the length
of every ladder in the place but some
how. though | heard their shouts plain
~, | could not make them hear mine :;
it seemed as if the voices went up. like
smoke. Then there was great delay,
while they went for longer ladder;
and this, too, didn't reach half way.
A man climed up IT, however, an call
Ell out 10 know had | bit of string in
my pocket that | could let down. Not
a bit could fluid. had had big ball
only the day before, but | had taken it
out an put it on a shelf at home. |
took of my braces, and fastened them
an my pocket handkerchief together;
but they didn't near reach the top of
the ladder 30 that plan had to be given
up.
All this time the wind was rising
an | was getting numb with the cold
an stiff an cramped from being so
long in the one post on. There was
Big clock right over the gateway just
opposite, an | saw that it only wanted
20 minutes to five; an once the dark
ness set in what little hope had would
be gone.
Master Philip seemed to have gone
away by this time, but there was my
father among the crowd; an who
should | see, standing next to him, an
holding on by his arm. but Katie,
They had forgotten everything but
the fright about M, an he seemed to
he talking to her, an comforting her.
After a bit saw Master Philip again;
he had big thing in his hand looking
like pocket handkercaefs stretched
over a frame, an saw that il was a
kite, an that they meant TO send up a
string to me in that way But YOU
never in all your life saw such an I'M
manageable kite. First twas too
heavy, then twas too light, an then
the time they seemed to lose making a
tail TO steady it. | heard after that
part of that same tail was made of
bank notes Master Philip took out of
his poke when he could get nothing
else quick enough. He got them back
later, for not a man. woman or child
in the place would have touched one of
them when they saw HIM using them
in that way.
When the kite did go up at last, the
wind was so high that they could not
manage it properly. 1t came very near
me once, an | made a snatch at the
string, nearly over-reaching myself in
doing so; but M ssed it. an just then
there came a terrible gust of wind, the
string broke. an the kite was carried
away. an stuck fast in the branches of
big tree behind the masters house.
| looked over at the clock TO see how
much time was left me, an | found |
could not see the hands any longer; the
darkness had come on in tho last few